


Christmas with You

by big_wet_cas_eyes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Relationship, Fluff, Former Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Human Castiel (Supernatural), Ignores 15x20, M/M, Marriage Proposal, More Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27842863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/big_wet_cas_eyes/pseuds/big_wet_cas_eyes
Summary: Dean and Cas spend their first Christmas together after Dean rescues Cas from the Empty.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 27
Kudos: 165





	1. Fireplace

**Author's Note:**

> These are essentially just fluffy one-shots. They'll all go together, but don't expect a lot of plot to happen.
> 
> Written for [Destiel December 2020](https://galaxycastiel.tumblr.com/post/636174248037203968/hey-guys-im-excited-to-announce-that-i-teamed)
> 
> Title inspired by Christmas with You by Artist vs Poet.

“Dean, I don’t understand. I thought stockings were supposed to be personalized.”

Dean is standing over the fireplace hammering a nail into the mantle, hanging a blue plaid stocking with a large A emblazoned on the front. 

“Shouldn’t they have a C and a D on them?” Cas asks, stepping closer. “Are you even listening to me?”

Dean knows it was silly, but as soon as he saw the fireplace in their new home, all he could think about was sitting there on Christmas with stockings hanging down. Which is why as soon as December hit, he had gone to the store to buy them. He learned the hard way that people shop for Christmas decorations before December. 

The stocking display had looked like a tornado blew through. It was a mess of glitter and sequins and creepy little cartoons from kids’ shows. He was about to give up when he spotted a blue plaid stocking the exact color of Cas’s eyes. 

The bottom corner of the display was filled with plaid flannel stockings, mostly in red and green. There were a handful of them, but only one blue one. He picked it up, disappointed when he noticed the letter A sewn to the front. He flipped it over, but the letter was on the back too. He hadn’t realized they were monogrammed. He looked at the red and green ones, he saw big black letters on the front of all of them. There weren’t very many left. He might've switched colors if he'd found any Ds or Cs, but they were really picked over. Plus his heart was already kind of set on Cas-eyes-blue. He rifled through the remaining stockings until he found one that would make sense with the blue one. 

“Yes, I’m listening,” Dean says as he begins hammering in the matching green stocking with an H on the front. “They didn’t have very many plaid stockings left. I didn’t like any of the other ones.”

“So you just got random letters?” Cas is eyeing him carefully. “How will we decide which is which?” 

Dean steps back, admiring his handiwork. He grabs some blankets and pillows off the couch and lays them out in front of the fireplace. He gestures at the ground, then fall back into the pile. “Join me, won’t you?” 

Cas sits down in the pile of blankets and pillows, snuggling into Dean’s side. He looks at the fire crackling in the fireplace, and then up at the stockings, smiling. “The green one matches your eyes. Maybe that one can be yours.”

“And here I was thinking the green one would be mine because of H for Human,” Dean turns to face Cas, smiling lightly. “And A for Angel.” 

“Dean, I’m not an angel anymore.” 

“I know that, but you were when I fell in love with you,” he says, resting his forehead against Cas’s. “I think it’s worth celebrating our past. How we got here and all.” 

"I guess I can't argue with that," Cas says before pressing his lips lightly to Dean's for a moment. "What do you want to do now that they're up? Finish decorating?"

"No, let's just sit here," Dean says. "It's warm and I haven't seen enough of you today."

"Dean, we spent the whole day together. You were only at the store for twenty minutes," Cas teases. 

"Don't care. Not enough Cas time." Dean wraps Cas in his arms, and pulls them back against the pillows. 

They stay there watching the fire, snuggled together in the pillows, until they fall asleep.


	2. Decorating

"Dean, when you said you got an angel for our tree, this is not what I thought you meant."

"Why?" Dean teases. "Because it doesn’t look like you?"

"I assure you that any tree topper would be nothing like my true form when I was an angel," Cas deadpans. "I did think you were going to get something traditional, though."

Dean frowns. "So you don't like it? I thought it was funny." He turns over the tree topper in his hands. 

"It's a cartoon character. Wearing a leather jacket. With angel wings," Cas says slowly.

"What, so you're the only angel who can have a fetish for outerwear?" Dean says with a chuckle. "Plus he has a halo. You used to have a halo."

"That doesn't make it accurate."

"It's accurate for a Tasmanian Devil angel," Dean counters, then sighs. "Do you want me to get a new one?" 

Cas exhales. "No. If it makes you happy, we can keep it."

Dean perks up immediately. "C'mon, Taz, let's get you up in your spot!" Dean says excitedly, rushing back over to the tree. He reaches up to put the little cartoon angel on top. Dean takes a step back, hands on his hips, to look at the tree. It looks a little naked with only the tree topper on it, but they'll fill it in.

It's only a little bit taller than he is, so it should be easy to decorate. Dean had wanted something bigger, but Cas picked it out. Dean dragged him out into the woods, ax in hand, chattering about the ideal Christmas tree: at least 8 feet tall, cone-shaped, dark green, no weird gaps or missing branches. Fifteen minutes into their search for the perfect tree, Cas stopped. "This one," he'd said firmly, eyes fixated, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. The tree was a little short, but other than that, it was perfect. Plus Cas looked happy. So Dean chopped it down, and not long after it was set up in their living room. 

"Now that you're done with our little friend, can you help me with these lights?" Cas is sitting on the floor with a giant pile of Christmas lights, impossibly tangled. He's looking at the pile in frustration, but not touching it. Dean sits down on the other side of the pile and grabs one of the light strand ends. Cas finds another end on his side. They start untangling in silence. 

Their hands brush as they begin to untangle overlapping sections. Cas stays focused on the lights, but Dean looks up. He watches Cas, brow creased in concentration and tongue sticking out a little, as he works on a particularly difficult knot. 

"I love you," Dean says, making eye contact when Cas's head tilts up.

"I love you, too," Cas replies automatically. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm just really happy you're here. That you're with me. That we're finally _together_. And that you're indulging all of the Christmas stuff." 

"I'm happy to be with you too, Dean," Cas says with a soft smile. "I will say, I was surprised when you said you wanted to do this much for Christmas. I know you better than I know anyone, and I didn't expect this." 

Dean rubs the back of his neck, looking down to the pile before picking his strand of lights back up. "Sammy and I didn't really get to do much normal stuff for Christmas as kids. We've done a little over the years, but we didn't really ever have that one thing that we always did. Now that I have this life with you… I wanted to start some traditions. Things we can do every year. Decorations we always put up." He smiles a bit, cheeks flushing slightly red. 

Cas reaches over to where Dean is working on his light strand, and pulls Dean's hands away from the lights, holding them in his own. "I would like to have traditions with you." He smiles brightly at Dean.

Dean pulls their clasped hands to his mouth and gently kisses Cas's hands. "Do you have any traditions you want to start?" 

Cas grins. "Actually, I have a surprise for you." He stands, reaching out for Dean's hand and pulling him up. Hands clasped, he drags them to the garage. 

"Cas, what did you—" Dean stops abruptly. "Why the hell is there a ball gag on my baby?"

Cas walks over to the passenger side, straightening the reindeer antler sticking out of the Impala's door. "It's not a ball gag, Dean. It's a Rudolph nose." 

"No."

"Dean."

"I know I just pulled you out of the Empty," Dean starts slowly, "but I may have to throw your ass back in there for this." Cas approaches him, getting within an inch of his face, and pouts. 

"Humor me?" Cas says softly, giving Dean a look that he's never been able to say no to.

He sighs. " _One_ day. Just one." Cas continues to pout. "…Two days. That's my final offer." Cas smiles and kisses him on the nose. Dean rolls his eyes, but a smile creeps onto his face. He loves seeing Cas smile like that and would do anything to keep it there. He leans in and presses his lips to Cas's, holding him close until it gets too cold to stay in the garage any longer. 

"Okay, so first lights, and then ornaments," Dean says as he walks back into the living room. "Do you think we can get that done tonight?"

"It depends on how long it takes us to finish with the lights," Cas says as he plops back on the floor. Dean sits back in his spot on the other side of the pile, and they both return to untangling their light strands. They're making slow progress, hands brushing every so often. 

They only make it through half of the tangled pile before they end up tangled together on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see Dean's tree topper, just google image search "Tasmanian devil tree topper." My family has had one of these guys on our own tree for 20+ years.


	3. Presents

Cas is carefully arranging a pile of presents under the Christmas tree when Dean walks into the room. 

"Whoa, where did these come from?" Dean asks, grabbing a small green box from the top.

Cas reaches out and takes back the box, placing it gently into its spot at the top of the pile. "Sam and Eileen sent them," Cas says, pulling a cardboard box over to him and grabbing a few more packages from the bottom. "They wanted to send them ahead early just in case their hunt goes longer than expected. They're still planning to be here for Christmas though." He places the last gift under the tree and stands to survey his work, giving it a nod of approval. The tree looks very picturesque, lights glowing and the perfectly stacked present pile underneath. 

Dean leans back down and picks up the green box again, giving it a shake. 

"Dean. Don't you dare."

"Why not? They're already here."

"They're for Christmas. It's not Christmas yet," Cas says sternly. "And Sam and Eileen aren't here."

"Yeah, but they might not even make it here, so they might never know that we opened them early," Dean says, slowly trying to peel a piece of tape back. 

Cas steps over to Dean, and pulls the package out of his hands. "That doesn't matter. You can't open it yet." Dean frowns at him. "The answer is still no." Dean continues to pout as Cas places the gift carefully back on the pile. Cas sighs loudly and walks behind the tree. He comes back out carrying a tiny gift wrapped in black paper. "This is from me," Cas says, pressing the gift into Dean's hands. "You can open it now if you are that impatient." 

"Oh," Dean says, blushing, "Cas, I was only kidding. I can wait." 

Cas gives him a gentle smile. "I was already planning to give it to you early."

"I haven't gotten you anything yet." Dean's eyes fall to the floor, avoiding Cas's gaze. 

"Christmas is still 3 weeks away, I'm not offended." Cas rips a small corner of the paper off of the gift still in Dean's hands. "Open it."

"If you're sure…," he trails off. Seeing Cas's encouraging nod, he finishes pulling the wrapping paper off. Underneath the paper, he finds a cassette tape with FOR DEAN written neatly on the label. "Cas?"

"It's a mixtape. You made one for me once, and I wanted to return the favor. This one has songs I discovered on my own that made me think of you." Dean's looking at the cassette like it might break. "I had to ask Sam for help. This is an outdated technology, but I get the impression that the format adds to the sentiment." 

Dean's still staring at the tape in his hands. He's misty-eyed when he finally looks up to make eye contact with Cas. "You made me a mixtape?" he asks softly. 

"Yes, Dean." 

Dean turns and walks out of the room without a word, and goes into the garage. Cas stands there for a moment, confused, before following him. Dean opens the door to the Impala, which is still sporting the reindeer antlers Cas snuck onto it. Leaning inside, he turns the key in the ignition just enough to turn on the radio, but doesn't start the engine. He pulls the mixtape out of its case, presses it into the tape deck, and turns the volume up before pulling himself out of the car. 

A quiet, calm guitar starts playing from the car's speakers. It's peaceful, not what Dean was expecting, but it's nice. He reaches a hand out to Cas, who takes a few steps closer to put his hand in Dean's. Dean pulls him in, placing Cas's other hand onto his shoulder before wrapping his own arm around Cas's waist. Their other hands are still clasped tightly. "Dance with me?" he asks in a low voice, eyes still shining, but smiling brightly now. Cas returns the smile and nods. A soft, pretty voice is playing through the speakers as they begin to sway. 

"Is this… Taylor Swift?" Dean asks, recognizing the voice singing the unfamiliar song. 

"It is," Cas replies. "I find her to be quite relatable. She is on here a few times, but I found the words in this song best reflect my feelings for you, so I wanted it to be first." 

Dean chuckles, holds Cas a little tighter, and listens closely to the lyrics. As the song continues, Dean can see why it made Cas think of him. The tears that were already forming in his eyes threaten to start falling.

_All these people think love's for show, but I would die for you in secret._

"I would die for you, too, you know," Dean whispers.

"I know," Cas responds quietly. "And I'd do it again. But I'm hoping that won't be required anymore, at least not for a while." Dean smiles and rests his forehead against Cas's, reveling in the closeness. The tears in his eyes finally begin to overflow as he thinks about how lucky they are to be not just _alive,_ but _together,_ too.

They stay in the garage, swaying slowly, as Dean takes in the rest of the song. Dean pulls Cas closer as it begins to fade out, pressing his mouth lightly to Cas's. "Thank you," he murmurs against his lips. Right now, being close to Cas is all that matters. This is enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is "peace" by Taylor Swift


	4. Sledding

"I don't suppose you'll let me take you to the emergency room, will you?"

Dean winces as the cut on his forehead drips blood onto his eyelashes. "No. I can handle this myself." He presses the already bloody rag back to his face, trying to control the bleeding.

"Dean, this is a lot of blood. You don't have to handle it on your own," Cas says, worry creeping into his voice. "And keep your eye closed, I don't want any blood getting into it."

"I've been stitching myself up for years, I know what I'm doing," Dean says gruffly as he digs under the sink for the first aid kit. 

"Yes, Dean, I know. But usually you're bleeding because you got attacked by some monster or you have a bullet wound, things you can't explain away easily," Cas explains. "This is different. There's a simple explanation for your injury."

Dean scoffs. "Yeah, okay. You want me to go in there and tell them that I, a grown ass man, sliced my eyebrow open _sledding_?"

"It could've happened to anyone," Cas says, trying to calm Dean down. "There's nothing wrong with sledding."

"Sure, if you're a kid," Dean grumbles.

"But you wanted to go sledding," Cas says, confused.

Dean pulls the rag away from his forehead to check if the bleeding has stopped. Looking into the mirror, he sees that it's slowed, but not stopped. He presses the rag back to the wound. "Yeah, but I didn't want anyone to know," Dean explains in a small voice. "Nobody but you."

"You won't go to the emergency room because you're embarrassed that you wanted to go sledding?" Cas says slowly, understanding dawning on him. 

"Yes," Dean says. "So please just let me handle this myself."

"No," Cas says firmly. Dean is about to protest when he continues: "I'll do it for you. Hand over the first aid kit." 

"Fine." He slides the kit across the counter to Cas, who starts pulling things out. "This is so stupid. I can't believe I crashed into a tree." 

"It could've been worse," Cas says, eying the bottle of peroxide in his hand. "Now get rid of that bloody rag and let me clean you up." Dean hops up to sit on the counter to give Cas a better angle to work from. Cas cleans up the dried blood, caked into his eyebrow at this point. Dean flinches as Cas starts to clean out the wound with peroxide. "How does it feel?"

"Hurts. I've had worse."

"That doesn't mean this can't hurt," Cas says, gently kissing Dean on the tip of the nose. "I'm going to stitch it up now, are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Dean studies Cas with his open eye as he works. He's concentrating, not paying attention to anything apart from the cut. Dean clenches his teeth at the sting. Cas frowns, muttering under his breath about how this would be easier if he still had his grace. And it's true. Cas has fixed Dean's face from much worse than this without any effort more times than he can count. The way Cas's fingers are pressed to his forehead right now once would've been what healed him alone. But seeing Cas fix him up the old fashioned way… Dean can't feel anything but thankful.

Thirty minutes later findsDean on the couch, nursing a glass of whiskey and looking at the Christmas tree. Cas is off cleaning up Dean's blood, which somehow made it onto every surface in the bathroom. Dean's feeling better now, thanks to the whiskey and some painkillers. Painkillers for the physical pain, whiskey for how stupid he feels for injuring himself _sledding_.

He's dozing off when he feels the couch dip next to him. "I had fun today, you know," Cas says softly. 

"You had fun getting covered in blood?" Dean asks, looking to Cas who has already changed out of the shirt Dean bled all over. 

"Well, I could have done without that part," he starts. "But sledding was fun." He smiles softly at Dean, then settles into the couch and rests his head on Dean's shoulder. 

"Yeah, I guess I had fun too." He rests his head on top of Cas's. "But maybe we don't add sledding to our list of traditions." 

"You're really going to let one sledding accident stop you forever? You were so excited this morning!" 

"It's stupid, man. I'm in my 40s, I'll stick to more age-appropriate activities from now on." 

"Dean, I am significantly older than you and I enjoyed the sledding immensely," Cas says firmly. "Look at me." Dean and Cas both lift their heads from their stacked resting position. "You're allowed to have fun, you're allowed to enjoy things. You don't have to have the weight of the world on your shoulders at all times. You can enjoy things that you should have been allowed to enjoy as a child, even now."

Dean sighs. He knows Cas is right. "Okay. We can try sledding again." Cas smiles at him. "But— I want to wait until next year. I don't need to bust my face open twice in one year."

"Deal," Cas says, leaning in and kissing Dean on the forehead, far enough from the wound not to disturb it. "Now, what else can I do to make you feel better?"

Dean grins. "I can think of a few things that might help." Cas raises an eyebrow at him before Dean tackles him into the couch.


	5. Shopping

"Dean, please tell me you did not buy a knife for every single person we know for Christmas."

Dean is sitting on the floor of the living room, unloading the bag he brought home from the store onto the floor. Cas already has gift wrapping supplies set up in anticipation of Dean returning from Christmas shopping. Cas is sitting across from him and holding an open box in his hands, gazing at the silver blade reflecting the lights from the Christmas tree. The lid of the box sits next to him, the name CLAIRE written in Dean's messy scrawl on the top. Dean has piled up a stack of 9 other identical boxes between them. 

"We're hunters," Dean explains. "Tell me one hunter who couldn't use an extra silver blade."

"Dean, I hardly think a young woman would want a knife for Christmas. Shouldn't we get Claire something more…," Cas trails off, struggling to find the word, "…fun?" He replaces the lid on the box and places it with the others.

"What? Claire loves hunting," Dean responds, surprised. "It's a great gift."

"Hunting is her job. Aren't presents supposed to be things you want, not need?" Cas asks, frowning at Dean. 

"Not always," Dean says. "But if you really want to, we can get her another one too." He gives a small shrug, trying to convey that he's not offended.

"Yes," Cas says, "I think that will make me feel better."

"Okay, so we'll wrap up all the knives," he says. "Then we'll go back out tomorrow for more presents. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Cas leans forward and kisses him gently on the lips. "They are beautiful knives."

"The one for Claire has little flowers engraved on it, did you see?" Dean says excitedly.

"I did." He gives a gentle smile. He grabs another box from the pile, this one with JACK scrawled on the lid. "You bought one for Jack? He's not a hunter anymore."

Dean shrugs. "He's still family. He should match," he says simply.

Cas smiles and gives him a nod of agreement. "Now, do you want to be in charge of wrapping paper or ribbons?"

"Uh," Dean rubs his neck. "Neither? I figured since I did the shopping, this could be your job."

"Okay, you can do ribbons," Cas decides, pushing the bin of ribbons over to Dean and pulling the paper to himself. 

They sit there on the floor chatting as Cas wraps up the first present, a moment of simple domestic life that Dean loves. Dean tells Cas about the crowds out shopping and Cas tells Dean about the new trench coat he ordered that arrived with a giant hole in it. Cas soon hands off the first wrapped gift to Dean. He struggles to turn the ribbon into a bow.

Cas looks over to the mess Dean has made trying to tie the ribbon onto the present after he finishes wrapping the next box. "You were not kidding about not wanting to do the ribbons."

Dean looks up at Cas through his eyelashes. "Please help me," he says guiltily. 

"I'll take it you don't want to trade jobs." It's not a question.

"I'll take it _you_ don't want to trade jobs," Dean counters.

"Okay. I can do both," Cas says, reaching over to take back the gift and the ribbon.

"Thanks, man." Dean leans over to give him a kiss. "I'll try to fix that dead light strand in the tree instead." Dean pushes himself up and heads over to the tree.

"Yes, that seems to be something that would work for your skillset."

They work in silence. This is what Dean loves the most about living with Cas. The comfortable silences, the easy conversations. Living with Cas isn't any extra work beyond just existing. After a while, Dean looks over at Cas. He's huddled over another gift, perfectly creasing the wrapping paper before taping it. Dean feels overwhelmed by how lucky he feels, like he does at least once a day. He's still staring when Cas glances up from the gift. When their eyes meet, he makes a split second decision. Dean's eyes light up and he smiles widely.

Cas returns the smile. "Can I help you with something?" 

"I have a present for you." 

"Now?" Cas asks, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. 

"Yeah, get up." Dean walks over to Cas and reaches a hand down, helping Cas to his feet. He continues speaking when they're eye to eye. "I picked something up for you while I was shopping," Dean starts slowly. "I bought it a while ago, it just wasn't ready until today. I was going to wait until Christmas, but…" he trails off.

Dean reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small velvet box. He opens it and turns it around so that Cas can see the shiny silver ring inside. 


	6. (Snow) Angel

Dean looks over at the snowbank, watching Cas spread out on the ground. The sun is glinting brightly off of the snow, and even more brightly off the silver ring adorning Cas's left hand. Dean smiles at the sight, remembering the look on Cas's face when he'd pulled out the ring. The widened eyes. The mouth hanging open. The breathless "Really?" and his own steady "Really." The tears forming in Cas's eyes, the same ones he'd seen when Cas told Dean he loved him for the first time. His own eyes prickling with tears. The "Yes, Dean" said exactly like Cas says "Hello, Dean." The kiss that came after, teeth clashing when they couldn't stop smiling. The trail of clothes on the floor from the living room to the bedroom. It was a good night. Maybe the best night of Dean's life.

"What are you thinking about?" Cas calls over to him, still lounging in the snow. He's made a snow angel around him.

"Just thinking about my fiancé." Dean beams. 

"Well, your fiancé wants you to make a snow angel," he says loudly. "Get over here!"

Dean chuckles and walks over to where Cas is, careful not to disturb his snow angel. He drops ungracefully into the snowbank and lies down. He turns to face Cas, head propped up on his hand. "Hello there, handsome."

"Hello, Dean." He twists to face Dean, mirroring his position. "Don't you want to make a snow angel?"

"Don't need to," he says, reaching over to brush some snow out of Cas's hair. "Looks like I've already got one." He smiles. "You, to be precise."

Cas gives a wide smile. "That's true," he agrees with a nod. "You do have me." 

Dean chuckles. "And I thought you'd tell me I was getting too sentimental." 

"Why would I do that?" Cas says, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "We're engaged to be married, I think that entitles us to some sentimentality." At that, Dean shuffles closer and reaches out to hold Cas's hand in his own. He pulls the clasped hands to his mouth and gently kisses Cas on the knuckle.

"I'm glad you said yes," Dean whispers against their hands, still pressed to his mouth. 

"Did you have any doubt?" he asks, brow furrowed.

"No… uh, maybe?" Dean stammers. "Yes," he finally says with a sigh. 

"But you already know how I felt about you, Dean," Cas says. "You saw that my true happiness was sharing what I felt with you."

Dean averts his gaze. "It wasn't that, I know you love me. It's just that… with all we've been through and everything that's happened… I was worried you would think marriage was stupid. Insignificant or something." He lifts his eyes to meet Cas's. "I didn't think you'd want to do this part." 

"Dean," Cas says softly. "I don't think it's stupid. But even if I did, you already know that I would do anything to make you happy." 

His throat tightens and tears start to form in his eyes. "Yeah?" It takes some effort to get the word out. 

"Dean, telling you I loved you for the first time is one of my fondest memories. I will never forget it," he says, staring intently at Dean. "That moment… you were so scared. I could see it. You didn't think there was a way out. And then I realized I could save you and forgot about everything that was crashing down on us. You looked so beautiful, Dean. You were scared, but you were there and you were you and I will never forget how I felt in that moment. The happiest I had ever been."

"Cas…,"Dean whispers, pressing their still clasped hands against his forehead. 

"Until now, Dean. The joy I felt then is nothing compared to what I feel now. I thought true happiness would come from just telling you, but I never could have imagined this." He pulls his hand away from Dean and wiggles the ring finger at him. "I didn't think I could ever have this." He smiles gently. 

"I'm sorry it took me so long, man," Dean says, throat still tight. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. We could've had this for years."

Cas shakes his head. "Dean, has it occurred to you that the reason we are so happy now is that we've had to wait for it for so long?"

Dean's eyes widen at that. "What?" he asks, confusion creeping into his voice. 

"Twelve years of falling in love. Twelve years of not knowing what the other felt. All of that leading up to now."

"You haven't loved me for twelve years," Dean says. His voice is still weak.

"Maybe not," Cas agrees. "But it's been coming for a long time. I think I loved you before I really even understood what the emotion was." Cas rolls back onto his back. He spreads his arms and wipes them across the snow, fixing the edges of the snow angel where their held hands had interfered. "Now make your snow angel."

Dean is still on his side, gazing at Cas. Maybe Cas is right. If he hadn't spent twelve years saving Cas and hurting Cas and losing Cas over and over again, how would he feel about him? Their lives were so intertwined at this point that he can't even imagine life without Cas. Every time he's lost Cas, he felt like his life was ending. Every time he got Cas back, he loved him even more. He's not sure when it went from friend love to family love to _love_ love. But that's because it happened so gradually. Twelve years of falling in love. It kept growing that whole time, finally culminating in Dean being the happiest he's ever been. He looks back to the ring on Cas's hand and smiles. "Yes, dear," he says as he rolls onto his back and makes his own snow angel. Anything to make Cas happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I wrote this immediately after seeing "But still beautiful. Still Dean Winchester."?


	7. Peppermint

Dean wakes up and reaches out next to him for Cas, but Cas isn't there. Panic starts to set in until he smells bacon. He lets out a sigh of relief and relaxes. Cas is just making them breakfast.

Dean gets out of bed, splashes some water on his face to wake himself up, and brushes his teeth. He finds a sweatshirt on the ground and pulls it on to make sure he's prepared for the cold of the hallway. He walks into the kitchen to see Cas standing at the stove. He looks up and smiles when he hears Dean come into the room. 

"Mornin'," Dean says sleepily, giving Cas a kiss that's almost too gentle to even consider a kiss. "Coffee?" he asks hopefully.

"I went out and got some," Cas says, pointing to a red cup on the counter. "I told the girl working that my fiancé would want something Christmas-y and she suggested this." 

Dean pats over to the cup and pours it into the mug sitting next to it on the counter. "When did we get this mug?" Dean asks, taking in the "I LOVE MY GAY DADS" written on the side. 

"An engagement gift from Claire," Cas explains as he gets back to cooking.

Dean chuckles. He takes a sip of the coffee and immediately spits it back into the mug. "Ugh! I should've drunk some water after I brushed my teeth. It tastes like mint now."

"It's a peppermint mocha, Dean."

"Oh… well, peppermint mochas taste like toothpaste."

"We use the same toothpaste, Dean," Cas says, eying Dean curiously. "I had one too and it did not taste like our toothpaste."

Dean looks into the mug and sniffs it again. It definitely smells like toothpaste. He wrinkles his nose a bit.

"You don't have to drink it," Cas says with a sigh. "I can just make a pot of coffee when I'm done here." He gestures to the pan of eggs. 

"No, no, I want it," Dean says. He walks over to Cas and kisses him on the forehead. "Thank you. I love it and I love you."

"I love you too," Cas says before reaching over and pulling the mug from Dean's hands. "And this is mine now. Go start a pot of coffee."

"Fine," Dean says as he busies himself with the coffee pot. "What's the occasion anyway? Why are you making breakfast?" 

"For Claire."

"Claire? Is she coming to visit?" Dean asks, confused.

Cas looks at him curiously for a moment. "You haven't checked your phone yet."

"Uh, no?"

"Claire is upstairs taking a shower. She texted us last night that she would be stopping by on her way home from a hunt. I figured you would have seen when you woke up." 

"She's here now? Why didn't you say anything?" Dean asks, too tired to properly process Cas's explanation.

"I just told you that she gave us an engagement gift. Where did you think it came from?"

"Oh, uh, I didn't think about that. Still need to caffeinate, you know." He gestures at the coffee pot that's sputtering to life. "How long is she staying?"

"Just through breakfast, I think. She wants to get back to Kaia."

Dean smiles. He's glad Claire is happy. "So we're just a substitute for a motel then?"

"Perhaps, but she did say something about being excited to see her dads when she got here."

Dean considers this for a moment and then asks, "Do you ever think about it?"

"Think about what?" He does the little head tilt as he asks the question.

"Kids. Being dads," Dean says, voice slightly hushed. He's not exactly sure where the question came from. 

"We are dads." 

"I meant to a baby. Not to a blonde tornado and God himself." He loves Claire and Jack, but his mind is suddenly filled up with a vision of himself holding a baby with Cas's blue eyes. "I love them, but we didn't really know them until they were nearly adults. I always kind of assumed I'd have a baby someday," he adds. 

Another head tilt from Cas. "You want a baby?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" He sighs. "Yes, I think I do."

"We can talk about it. I'm not opposed." Cas shrugs lightly, but there's the beginning of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Dean breaks into a huge grin. "Really? Do you want to talk about it now or —"

He's cut off when a flash of blonde hair and flannel sweeps into the kitchen and wraps Dean up into a hug. "Hey, old man!" Claire says brightly, head pressed against his chest.

"Hey there, kid. It's nice to see you. How'd the hunt go?" He puts his hands on her shoulders and pushes her back to get a good look at her. She looks like Cas, but she's dressed like Dean. She really is their kid.

"It was easy, just a run of the mill vengeful spirit. Only took a day to handle, and an extra day in town just to make sure everything was fine," she says proudly.

Dean beams with pride. "That's my girl." He wraps his arms around her into another hug. He looks over to Cas and mouths, "we'll talk later." Cas gives him and Claire a fond smile and nods in agreement.

Dean is happy with their little family the way it is, but he can't help but think about how this morning could be improved by the addition of a baby. 


	8. Blizzard

"Son of a bitch!" The light above Dean's head flickers a few more times and then goes all the way out. "The damn blizzard ice storm thing knocked out the power."

"Are you surprised? You already lit a fire and pulled out the flashlights," Cas replies calmly as he walks over to Dean.

Dean sighs. "Surprised? Not at all. Annoyed? Very." 

"Well, what do you want to do tonight now?"  
"I didn't really get that far in planning…" he trails off, thinking. A few moments later he says, "Okay, I have one idea." He walks over to the Christmas tree and pulls out a large, flat present from underneath. He hands it to Cas. 

"Your idea is to open our Christmas presents early?" Cas eyes him curiously.

"No, my idea is that you open one Christmas present early. This one's from me," he says with a smile. "It will give us something to do."

Cas returns the smile. He nods and begins carefully removing the paper from the gift. He pauses when he pulls the paper off the top and reveals the large SORRY! printed on the top. "You bought me a board game."  
"Yeah, we played it once together and never really finished our game so I thought you might want to play again. Perfect power outage activity. "

"This game is not attached to happy memories for me, Dean. I wasn't myself then." 

"Then we can make a new memory, a happier one," Dean says hopefully. Cas still has a cold look in his eye. "Or not, if you really don't want to," he adds, dejected

"A memory wholly unrelated to me absorbing all of the souls in purgatory?" Cas asks, a hint of skepticism in his voice.   
"Exactly," he says as he pulls the box out of Cas's hands. "Will you play with me?"

"Yes, Dean."

Dean grins. He sits on the floor in front of the fireplace and removes the lid from the box, beginning to set up the game. "Join me?" he says as he looks up at Cas, who is still looking at him like he's not sure what to think. Cas nods and sits down on the other side of the game board Dean has set up. 

"I want to be green," Cas says. 

Dean chuckles, rotates the board, and pushes the green pieces over to Cas. "I guess that makes me blue." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "Loser shovels the driveway in the morning?"

The corners of Cas's mouth turn up, more of a smirk than a smile. "Yes, that is a good idea." 

Twenty minutes later and Dean knocks the blue pieces off the board in frustration. "Best two out of three?" Cas smiles and nods. 

Apparently Dean is the least lucky guy in the world, because Cas beats him 4 more times before the night is over. The power still isn't back on, so they make up a nest of blankets and pillows in front of the fireplace to sleep in and keep warm.

——

Cas wakes up in the pile of blankets alone the next morning. He blinks a few times, notices a light on overhead, and realizes the power must have come back on overnight. He sighs gratefully and heads to the kitchen toward the smell of coffee, where he assumes Dean is. 

Dean isn't in the kitchen though, the only sign that he was there is a half gone, cold mug of coffee. Cas pours himself a cup and drinks it while he tries to find Dean. He hears a scraping sound from outside and looks out the window. It's not snowing anymore, but there's at least a foot of snow on the ground.

Dean is out in the driveway shoveling snow, not one to go back on a bet. Cas smiles, admiring the view. He's not doing a very good job; every time he shovels some snow away half of it falls right back to where it was. And his sweatpants are soaked through almost to the knee, clearly a bad choice of attire. He toys with the idea of going outside to help, but Dean must have been up early because he's almost done. Cas settles onto a nearby chair and watches until Dean comes inside, face flushed from the cold. 

"You're up!" Dean says. "And you didn't help."

"I didn't lose five games in a row," Cas teases. 

"Yeah, well, you're going to have to give me a massage or something because my back fucking hurts now." He leans backs and groans, emphasizing his point. 

"Maybe your shoveling posture was wrong. Did you bend your knees enough?"  
"Did I… what?" 

"Bend your knees. Otherwise you might have been putting too much pressure on your back."  
"Oh," Dean says. "Yeah maybe. I gotta go shower now though, my clothes are soaked." 

"Maybe something more waterproof next time?"  
"Next time you'll be shoveling the snow." Dean glares.

"Maybe, maybe not." Cas gives a noncommittal shrug. "Do you want company in the shower?" 

The glare is wiped from Dean's face as he rushes over to grab Cas's hand, and pulls him up the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you can guess what video appeared on the internet when I was halfway through writing this.


	9. Family

Dean's dozing off at the kitchen table. He figured asking Cas about the sleeping arrangements over the holiday would be something they could discuss as they were sitting in bed. He didn't realize that asking would mean Cas sitting him down at the kitchen table and pulling out a notebook. Dean rests his head in his hand and tries his best to listen.

"Sam and Eileen will be in the guest room, since they'll be here first," Cas says, looking carefully at his notes. "Charlie and her girlfriend are getting the air mattress in the study. Jack gets the couch—"

Dean cuts him off. "Wait, what? What do you mean Jack gets the couch? I thought he didn't sleep now that he's…" He pauses to gesture upward. "You know. God or whatever."

Cas glares at him, probably angry that Dean broke his focus. "He doesn't sleep."

"Then why does he need the couch?" Dean's not sure if he's tired or stupid. Maybe both.

"Do you want him to just stand in the kitchen all night? I thought he would like to have somewhere to relax. From being 'God or whatever.'" He does air quotes as he says it. Dean normally rolls his eyes at Cas using air quotes, but he smiles fondly at Cas since it seems he finally figured out how to use them correctly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Can't make the kid visit and then force him to wait in a corner for us to wake up," Dean agrees. "Keep going, please."

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," Cas continues, shooting a quick glare at Dean before looking back to his notebook. "Jack will be on the couch. Jody and the girls are staying at a hotel, that one that's about ten minutes away. Bobby agreed to take the pullout couch in the basement."

Dean raises an eyebrow at that. "You sure? You don't think he's just gonna complain about it messing up his back the whole time he's here?"

"We spoke about it, Dean. He doesn't want the air mattress, and he knows Sam won't really fit anywhere other than the guest bed. He's fine with the pullout."

Dean stifles a yawn. "Yeah, yeah, okay. And everyone gets in Christmas Eve?"

"Everyone except Sam and Eileen. They're planning to be here the day before."

"Sure, yeah. You got anything in that notebook of yours about food plans?"

"I do." Cas looks up and fixes Dean with an intense look. "I'm sure you would rather be asleep than hear about those, though."

Dean attempts to disagree, but his yawn comes out before he can stop it. Cas gives him a soft smile, stands, and extends his hand out to Dean. Dean lets himself be helped out of his chair and led up the stairs.

Dean is already snuggled in under the covers by the time Cas makes his way into bed. He smiles at Cas, wiggling his way into his side.

"Thank you for organizing all the family stuff," Dean says into Cas's shoulder.

"I'm happy to do it. They're my family too."

"I know that," Dean says, looking up to give Cas a lazy smile. "But if I was planning things, they probably wouldn't be all figured out by now."

"I'm sure you could have done it."

"Maybe." He shrugs as best as he can while pressed against Cas. "But I'm still happy."

"Good," Cas says, placing a kiss on the top of Dean's head as he does. "It will be nice to have everyone together."

"I know, I'm really excited," Dean says, perking up a bit.

"There is one downside, however," Cas says as he looks away from Dean.

Dean frowns in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We won't have any privacy for a few days."

Dean rolls over and props himself up on his elbows to look directly at Cas. "Is that so? You saying you wanna do some private things with me now?" He winks.

"No," Cas says. "I'm saying I might want to do some private things with you when everyone is here."

Dean pouts, but is quickly interrupted by a yawn.

"And that is exactly why I don't want to do any private things with you right now." Cas smiles at him. "Now sleep," he says as he presses two fingers to Dean's forehead.

"You know that doesn't work anymore," Dean mumbles. But he rolls onto his back and snuggles back into Cas's side anyway.

Cas chuckles beside him, but Dean is already asleep.


	10. Mistletoe

"Dean, what's going on? Why are you warding the house against something? Are we in danger?"

Dean looks over to Cas, who has just walked into the room and looks slightly panicked. "What are you talking about, man? I'm just hanging some mistletoe." Dean continues when Cas stares at him. "For Christmas." He gently taps the sprig of mistletoe now hanging above him in the doorway to the living room. 

"I don't understand."

"It's a Christmas thing, Cas. You hang up mistletoe, and if you get caught underneath it with someone, you gotta kiss."

"Why is that a Christmas thing?" Cas asks, head tilting in confusion.

"Because… I don't know." Dean shrugs. "Just is," he finishes lamely. 

"So if I walked over and stood next to you…" He doesn't finish the question.

Dean chuckles. "Yes, by the rules of Christmas, you would be required to kiss me."

Cas smiles and walks over to the doorway. Dean grins and pulls him into a kiss, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

"Yes, I think I like this tradition," Cas says, breathless, when they break apart. "But what happens if I walk underneath with someone who isn't you? I don't have any desire to kiss someone else in our family." 

"You don't have to kiss them like that, man," Dean says with a laugh. "Forehead kiss, cheek kiss, whatever. Save the good ones for me." Dean winks. 

"Do you have more? Should we hang some somewhere else?"

"More on the kitchen table, go crazy," Dean replies. "I'm gonna head outside and shovel the driveway."

"Don't forget to—" Cas says before Dean cuts him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Lift with my knees," he shoos Cas off toward the kitchen as he walks off to get his boots on.

——

Cas looks very pleased with himself when Dean gets back in from shoveling the driveway, and he doesn’t realize why until he climbs into bed that night. 

"Cas, why is there mistletoe above our bed?" 

"You said I could hang more up," Cas states bluntly.

"Yeah, but why here?" Dean asks.

"Now you have to kiss me whenever you get in bed." He pauses for a moment, and then adds, "And right when you wake up in the morning." 

Dean laughs. "I do that anyway," he says, but he rolls over anyway to kiss Cas. 

——

He finds the next sprig of mistletoe when they climb into the Impala the next day to go to the grocery store. It's hanging from the rearview mirror. 

"Here too?" he asks. Cas gives a small shrug. Dean leans over to kiss him. 

It takes them a while to actually leave for the store. 

——

They're putting away their groceries when Dean notices Cas standing still in front of the stove, not doing anything. Concerned, he walks over and places his hand on Cas's lower back. 

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" 

In reply, Cas looks up at the ceiling. Dean follows his line of sight, then pulls Cas into his arms when he spots the sprig of mistletoe hanging there.

——

"Cas, you know you don't have to keep hanging mistletoe up everywhere, right?" Dean asks as he walks into the living room, holding the mistletoe he just pulled down from the showerhead. 

"Hm?" Cas hums from his spot on the couch, lifting his head from his book and tilting his head. 

Dean holds the mistletoe up. "This. You don't have to put it everywhere. I'll kiss you whenever you want." 

"I like the mistletoe," Cas says as he lifts himself off the couch and crosses the room. He reaches out and pushes Dean's hand above their heads. With the mistletoe in place, Cas leans into Dean and kisses him gently. "I can take it down if you want," he says against Dean's lips.

"No, no," Dean says, smiling. "I like it too, I just want to make sure you don't think we need it." 

"I know that. I still want it up."

Dean chuckles. "Okay, should I hang this one back up in the shower?"

"Yes, put it back. I had a plan for it."

Dean raises his eyebrow, but turns and leaves the room so he can return the sprig to its spot.


	11. Holiday Movies

"Dean, will you please stop ruining this movie?"

"What the hell are you talking about, man?" Dean turns to look at Cas. 

"You're giving away the ending," Cas says with an annoyed sigh.

"But I've never seen this before," Dean says, confused. He pauses the TV though, since he gets the feeling Cas isn't done questioning him.

Another annoyed sigh. "Dean, you _just_ _said_ that she was going to break up with the successful businessman and marry the man who owns the Christmas tree farm." 

"That was a guess!" Dean exclaims.

Cas tilts his head at Dean. "That's a very specific guess to make." 

"That's how these movies work, though. The girl goes to a small town, meets a man who loves Christmas, and breaks up with her douchebag boyfriend. And she ends up with the Christmas dude." 

"If they're all the same, why do you watch them?" Cas asks, sounding genuinely curious now.

"Because they're fun. And you don't have to think too much about it." Dean shrugs. He likes turning his brain off sometimes for a crappy Christmas movie.

"Okay… I think I understand," Cas says, looking thoughtful. "But if the woman always falls in love with the man who loves Christmas, then how do you know that this woman is going to end up with the Christmas tree farmer and not the man directing the Christmas parade?"

Dean shrugs again. "Christmas tree farmer dude has the look. The love interest look. You know, the dark hair and the blue eyes."

Cas looks at Dean carefully, that look that makes Dean feel like he's looking into his soul. "Dean, that's what I look like." 

"Hmm," Dean hums, studying Cas's face. "I guess you do. You're a classic Hallmark movie love interest." He leans over and kisses Cas on the cheek.

"But I don't own a Christmas tree farm."

"The Hallmark love interest can have many different professions," Dean explains, smiling at Cas. "For example, there's probably a love story out there where an angel of the lord saves a guy from Hell and they fall in love." Dean winks at him. 

"Dean, I think I would know if that were a movie."

"Didn't say it was a movie," Dean says as he leans over to kiss Cas on the forehead. "Just said it was a love story." Cas is blushing slightly now, and Dean can't help thinking how adorable he looks. "Now get over here and let's keep watching." He holds his arms out to Cas who snuggles into them. They settle in and watch the rest of the movie, with Cas nudging him gently each time one of Dean's predictions comes true. 

——

"Okay, Dean, I think I'm getting the hang of this."

Dean smiles at him and pauses the movie. "Yeah? Give it your best shot."

"The woman is going to break up with the professor because he doesn't like Christmas, and she's going to fall in love with the handsome innkeeper." 

"I think you're getting it," Dean says warmly. "How do you know she's not going to fall for the man who owns the general store, though?"

"He doesn't have the look. Not rugged enough. Not enough flannel."

"So you think flannel is what makes a Hallmark movie love interest?" Dean laughs at that.

Cas shrugs. "I'm certainly attracted to those things." He looks intently at Dean. "Clearly."

Dean blushes and ducks his head. "Well, if that's what you like…"

"It is. Now, come here so we can see if my guesses were right." He pulls Dean into his arms and keeps him there for the rest of the movie. 


	12. Cookies

“Cas, are you sure you even know how to bake?”

Cas sighs dramatically. “Dean, I have step-by-step instructions. I can follow simple directions.”

Dean wipes his finger across the flour covering the countertop. "You're making a mess, man."

"I'll clean it up," Cas says tersely. 

"Sure, sure," Dean says as he presses his hand to the flour on the countertop, before pressing his flour-covered hand to Cas's shoulder. 

"Dean! What are you doing?" Cas shouts in surprise. He pushes Dean's hand away, revealing the white handprint now on his shirt.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and—"

Cas abruptly cuts him off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

Dean looks innocently at him. "Raised you from the kitchen?"

Cas rolls his eyes. "Please leave so I can focus." 

Dean laughs, but backs out of the room anyway.

——

Dean bursts back to the kitchen an hour later to the sound of Cas cursing loudly and the smell of something burning. 

"Cas, are you okay? Are you hurt?" 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Cas says, brushing him off. "Shit." 

"Are you sure?" Dean says, worry in his voice. "You don't sound fine."

"Yes, I just got distracted with cleaning and burned the cookies. I'll have to try again soon if we want to have cookies for Santa."

"Well, technically, there's aren't any kids around so we don't really need to put out Santa cookies."

"Jack is three," Cas states.

"Jack is God," Dean counters. 

"He's still three," Cas says with a shrug. "I'll have to start over."

"Well, I don't know about you," Dean says, grinning now. "But I love burnt cookies."

"You do not, Dean."

"I do." Dean crosses the room to the fridge. "Put some on a plate, we'll share," he says over his shoulder as he pours two glasses of milk.

"Dean, this is silly," Cas protests, but Dean fixes him with a stare and Cas puts a few of the blackened cookies onto a plate. 

"Thank you," Dean says, handing Cas a glass of milk. "Cheers! To well-done Christmas cookies!" They clink their glasses together, but Cas goes with a little too much force and sloshes milk down the front of Dean's shirt. 

Cas immediately puts his glass down and buries his face in his hands. "Dean!" he whines. "I keep ruining Christmas." 

"Hey, hey, look at me," Dean says as he wipes up the milk on his front with a kitchen towel. "It's fine."

"Your shirt is covered in milk and our cookies are black." 

"Well, like I said, I like burnt cookies," Dean explains. "And the wet shirt is an easy fix." He smirks and pulls his shirt over his head. "See? Problem solved."

"I'm sorry, Dean," Cas says, eyes down and looking embarrassed. 

"Okay, no more sulking. Come here." Dean holds his arms open and waits for Cas to walk into them. He wraps Cas in a tight hug. "My Christmas is perfect as long as you're here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this chapter inspired by my favorite lines in Christmas with You by Artist vs. Poet? Maybe ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	13. Ornament

Cas walks into the room as Dean is finishing putting the new ornament on the tree. Dean takes a step back and nods in approval. 

"Cas, come here and check this out! New ornament." Dean smiles and waves Cas over.

"Christmas was yesterday. I thought we were supposed to be done decorating the tree," Cas says with a slight tilt to his head, but he crosses the room to Dean anyway. 

"Yeah, but I ordered this one a while back and it got lost in with the pile of packages we hadn't opened yet. I just found it."

Cas stands next to Dean and looks intently at the ornament in the tree. "It's… me," he says, confused.

Dean looks at the ornament, a dopey grin on his face. It's one of those little picture frame ornaments with a picture of Cas inside. Cas in a cowboy hat, from the day they worked that case as Texas Rangers. It's Dean's favorite picture of him, so obviously he had to put it on a Christmas ornament.

"I love it. Do you love it?" Dean asks, excitement in his voice. 

"I love that you love it," Cas says, voice dripping with skepticism. 

"What? I love when you wear the cowboy hat."

"I know you love when I wear the cowboy hat."

"Maybe you can put on the cowboy hat now?" Dean asks, hopeful. 

Cas sighs, and levels him with a firm look. "Dean, we have a house full of guests. You know as well as I do that I cannot wear that hat in front of you if other people are around."

"That's not true," Dean protests. Cas stares at him harder, and Dean looks down to break the eye contact. "I can keep my hands to myself," Dean mutters.

"No, you can't," Cas whispers as he leans over to kiss Dean. "I'll wear the hat for you when everyone leaves."

Dean beams and nods his head. He grabs Cas's hand and pulls him into the kitchen, toward the smell of coffee. Jack is fiddling with the coffeemaker when they walk in.

"Dean! I finished making the coffee!" Jack says proudly as they enter the room. 

"Thanks, bud," Dean says, smiling at him and taking the mug Jack holds out to him. He takes a sip and fights the urge to spit it out. Multitalented as he may be, turns out God doesn't make great coffee.

"Cas, you're awake!" Jack exclaims, pulling Cas into a hug as soon as he spots him.

"Good morning, Jack," Cas says with a smile. "I'm glad you decided to stay another night." 

Dean looks at them with a fond smile on his face. His family. 

Yesterday was the best Christmas Dean can ever remember having. Surrounded by loved ones. Seeing Jack and Claire bicker like actual siblings. Learning how to sign "Merry Christmas" from Sam for Eileen. Watching Charlie cry when her girlfriend got down on one knee (and Claire's lovestruck glance at Kaia when it happened). Pretending not to see Bobby sneak a ninth (and tenth) sugar cookie after he swore he was done with them. Listening to Jody talk about how proud she is of her girls, and seeing her grin and tear up when Dean called them her daughters. Feeling Cas squeeze his hand whenever Dean got swept away in the joy of it all, pulling him back to Earth.

It was a good holiday, and Dean was pretty sure he was heading toward a good rest of his life. A long, happy life, with Cas and the rest of his family by his side.


	14. Hot Cocoa

Dean is standing in the living room, trash bag in hand, and looking at the giant mess in front of him. Maybe he shouldn't have waited 3 days after Christmas to clean up the mess of wrapping paper and empty boxes. Cas said they should clean up as they went, but he'd insisted that it would be more fun if they let the wrapping paper pile up and deal with it later.

He should've listened. Now the rest of his family has gone home and Dean is stuck cleaning. He groans and sits down on the floor next to a particularly large pile of trash and starts filling the bag. The bag is basically full by the time Cas comes into the room and sits down next to him.

He turns and smiles at Cas, who's holding out a mug to him. "Hot chocolate?" he asks hopefully, taking the mug from him.

"Yes," Cas says with a smile. 

Dean lifts the mug up to his mouth and takes a sip. He lets out a happy sigh at the taste, ignoring the burning on his tongue. "Thank you."

Cas nods and pulls a marshmallow from his own mug. "How is the cleanup going?" he asks before he pops the marshmallow into his mouth.

Dean tilts his head toward the full trash bag and rolls his eyes. "One down, fifteen to go."

"I'll help you post-cocoa." He pulls another marshmallow out of his mug and eats it. 

"No, it's fine. My fault we have this mess." 

"If that's what you want," Cas says as he pats Dean's knee with his free hand. "I had a nice time. I'm glad we got everyone here for a visit."

"I am too," Dean says, smiling at his memory of the chaos of having their home filled to the brim with people. It had been loud and messy and exhausting, but Dean wouldn't trade that family time for anything."How many marshmallows did you put in here?" he asks when Cas eats a third marshmallow from his mug. 

"Only four," Cas says around the marshmallow, shrugging slightly. "I tried for a fifth, but it wouldn't fit."

"You didn't give me any." Dean frowns at him.

"Dean, you don't like marshmallows."

Dean's mouth falls open. "What? I like marshmallows!" he protests.

"You prefer other desserts. You've never shown any interest in marshmallows."

"Yeah, but you have to have marshmallows on hot chocolate."

Cas looks at him carefully, tilting his head slightly. "I see," he says. He reaches into his mug and pulls out the last marshmallow, holding it in front of Dean's mouth. It drips hot chocolate onto the carpet and a little onto Dean's pants. "For you."

"Thank you," Dean says with a smug grin on his face. He tries to pretend that he doesn't find it endearing because he's feeling sentimental today and he might cry if he thinks about it too hard. He leans forward and lets Cas feed him the marshmallow. He holds Cas's fingers in his mouth for a second, sucking the remaining melted sugar off of them. 

Cas pulls his fingers out quickly. "No," he says firmly. "None of that until you finish cleaning up."

Dean starts to protest. "But-"

"No. Finish cleaning." 

"And then more finger stuff?" Dean asks.

"Really, Dean? 'Finger stuff'?" He glares around the finger quotes. 

Dean shrugs. "We haven't been alone in a few days. Forgive me if I'm a little rusty with coming onto you."

"I will be upstairs." Cas stands and takes his mug with him as he exits the room.

Dean abandons his remaining hot chocolate in favor of cleaning up the rest of the room as quickly as possible. 


	15. Lights

Dean is sitting on the couch looking at the Christmas tree all lit up. He's proud of it. It had been the centerpiece to their Christmas Day and looking at it reminds him of his family. 

He's broken out of his focus on the lights when he feels the couch dip next to him. He turns toward Cas, who is looking at him with a warm smile on his face. The twinkling lights are reflecting in Cas's blue eyes and Dean thinks it might be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

"Are you ready to take down the decorations yet?" Cas asks him softly.

"What?" It comes out a little too loudly for a response to such an innocent question. The surprise is probably apparent on his face. "No, I want to keep them up. If that's okay."

Cas nods. "Of course, we'll keep them up as long as you want." Dean smiles at him and turns back to the tree. 

They sit in silence for a few minutes before Cas speaks again. "What would you like to do for New Year's Eve?"

Dean furrows his eyebrows. He hadn't even been thinking about it. "Oh, I'm not sure. Did you have anything in mind?"

He shrugs in return. "Just to spend it with you. Maybe a quiet night in?"

"You want to spend it at home?"

"Only a suggestion. I'll do anything you want to do, Dean." He rests his hand on Dean's knee and looks at him, waiting for a response. 

"Let's do a quiet night in. Just us," Dean says with a smile, resting his hand on top of Cas's. "I could use a little more Cas time. I love you."

"I love you too. I love all of you." His smile reaches his eyes, crinkling at the corners. 

Dean chuckles. "It's just me here, man."

Cas shakes his head, still smiling widely. "No, Dean. I meant I love _all_ _of_ _you._ Your soul. Your mind. Your scars. I love every part of you." 

The words hit Dean right in the gut, which happens anytime Cas expresses his feelings like this without warning. Maybe Cas doesn't know the effect those words have on him. But it's Cas; of course, he knows. Cas knows him inside and out, knows every rip and bright spot in his soul. He knows exactly what he's doing when he talks like this. He knows exactly what it does to Dean. And he can probably see it all over Dean's face.

Cas's light laugh brings Dean back down to Earth. "Was it something I said?"

"You know it was," Dean chokes out, smiling enough that his eyes crease at the corner and a few tears overflow from his wet eyes."Come here," he says, pulling Cas into a hug. They stay like that, safe and together, until Cas has to wake Dean up so they can get ready for bed. 

——

The next evening is New Year's Eve and it finds them back on the couch, just like they planned. Dean's head is on Cas's shoulder, Cas's head resting on top of Dean's. The tree is lit up again at Dean's request and a nature documentary is playing on the TV. A bottle of celebratory champagne sits unopened and forgotten in the fridge. The clock on the wall reads 11:58 PM. 

They're both sound asleep when the new year begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End! Thank you if you stuck with me through all the fluff. If you left a nice comment, there's a good chance you made me cry a little :') I posted all of the chapters separately on tumblr [here](https://big-wet-cas-eyes.tumblr.com/tagged/destiel-december-2020) if you want to show some love over there. I have a couple of new things I'm writing now, so follow me here or on tumblr ([big-wet-cas-eyes](https://big-wet-cas-eyes.tumblr.com/)) if you wanna know what Dean and Cas get up to in my brain.


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